Martin Jarmond named director of athletics

Martin Jarmond named director of athletics

Jarmond comes to UCLA from Boston College and will be the ninth person to lead Bruin sports

Courtesy of Boston College

Martin Jarmond

UCLA Newsroom | May 19, 2020

UCLA Chancellor Gene Block today announced that Martin Jarmond has been named as the next Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Director of Athletics. Jarmond will become UCLA’s ninth athletic director, replacing the retiring Dan Guerrero, who has held the role for 18 years. Jarmond has agreed to a six-year contract with guaranteed compensation of $1,030,000 and a one-time signing bonus of $339,900 the first year, and compensation averaging $1.4 million annually over the term, plus incentives. He will assume his new duties on or before July 1.

“Martin is a principled, proven leader with a deep commitment to values that align with UCLA’s mission,” Block said. “From Rafer Johnson to John Wooden, this program has always inspired our student-athletes and supporters alike to persevere and excel. I am confident Martin will help UCLA carry on that storied tradition, with his exceptional leadership, high integrity and excitement for our future. Even in challenging times like these, there is so much to look forward to and so much potential still to be unlocked for our program and within our student-athletes. Please join me in congratulating Martin and welcoming him to the team.”

“UCLA is an aspirational program in intercollegiate athletics,” Jarmond said. “Steeped in history and success, the tradition of legends and barrier-breakers who call themselves Bruins is unmatched. I am humbled by and grateful for the opportunity to serve as the Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Director of Athletics. UCLA Athletics aligns with my tenacious commitment to developing young men and women to be their very best academically and athletically. I want to thank Chancellor Block and the members of the selection committee for entrusting me with the challenge of building upon the established excellence of the program. I will work tirelessly to ensure our student-athletes, alumni and fans remain proud of UCLA Athletics.”

Jarmond has served as the William V. Campbell Director of Athletics at Boston College for the past three years. He orchestrated the Eagles’ first-ever strategic plan, a comprehensive five-year goal to advance the program by fostering student-athlete formation, strengthening competitive excellence, increasing external engagement and enhancing facilities. The strategic plan was supported by BC’s first-ever athletics-only capital campaign, at the time, the largest campaign of any Atlantic Coast Conference institution at $150 million. The campaign has raised $121 million to date. Among the new ventures he brought to Boston College were a student-athlete fueling station, a program for first-generation student-athletes, and a fan council focused on improving the atmosphere and fan experience.

Boston College teams enjoyed on-the-field success during his tenure, with the football team playing in a bowl game each season, the women’s lacrosse team reaching the national championship game in 2018, the 2019 women’s field hockey team advancing to its first Final Four, and the men’s and women’s hockey teams combining for three conference championships in the last two years. Among Jarmond’s successful coaching hires were women’s basketball coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee, who was named ACC Coach of the Year this season after leading BC to its best ACC finish in school history, and women’s volleyball head coach Jason Kennedy, who turned around a seven-win team and won 20 games in just his second year.

Academically, Boston College continued to thrive under Jarmond’s leadership. The school ranks eighth in the nation with an overall Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 94% in all sports among Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools, with 12 teams scoring a perfect 100 GSR. Boston College also ranks among the highest in the nation in Academic Progress Rate (APR). Six Eagles teams recently received the NCAA APR Public Recognition Award, which is bestowed upon teams finishing in the top 10% of their respective sport, based on the multi-year APR. Included in those six was football, one of only 13 football programs at the FBS level to earn a Public Recognition Award, and one of only five to earn an award for the last three years.

Prior to joining Boston College in 2017 and becoming the youngest athletic director of any Power Five institution at age 37, Jarmond previously served as deputy director of athletics at Ohio State, moving up the ranks after arriving as an associate athletic director for development in 2009. During his time at Ohio State, he was the lead administrator for a variety of sports, including football and men’s basketball, and directed external and internal relations and day-to-day operations. He also had responsibility for football scheduling and was a member of the NCAA’s inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship Advisory Group and the Rose Bowl Advisory Committee. As Ohio State Athletics’ chief advancement officer, Jarmond helped raise more than $120 million between 2010-2012.

Jarmond was also an assistant athletic director for development for seven years at Michigan State, where he served on the athletic director’s executive leadership team. He was a key member of the $1.2 billion “Campaign for MSU” development team and a liaison between Michigan State’s university development and alumni association leadership.

Currently, Jarmond serves on the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee and the John McLendon Minority Scholarship Foundation Board of Directors. In 2017 and 2019, he was named to Sports Business Journal’s Forty Under 40.

A native of Fayetteville, North Carolina, Jarmond, 40, earned a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. A two-year captain of the men’s basketball team, he led his team to the program’s first-ever NCAA tournament appearance in 2000 and earned Colonial Athletic Association All-Academic honors in 2001. He holds both a M.B.A. and a master's in sports administration from Ohio University. Jarmond is married to Dr. Jessica Jarmond, a dentist. They have three daughters: Scarlett, Savannah and Serena.

At UCLA, Jarmond will lead one of the nation’s preeminent collegiate athletics programs at the nation’s No. 1 public institution. The Bruins were the first to win 100 NCAA team championships in 2007, and the department’s current total of 118 NCAA titles ranks second in the country. With nearly 700 student-athletes competing in 25 varsity sports, UCLA Athletics is committed to broad-based excellence in competition, as well as academic excellence in the classroom. UCLA’s student-athlete Graduation Success Rate currently sits at an all-time high of 92%.

Today’s announcement follows a nationwide search that began in January, with a special committee representing various sectors of campus evaluating candidates and recommending finalists to Block. Search consultants conducted meetings with campus constituents whose feedback informed the search effort.